Lucky Days
by vinewood and dragon heartstring
Summary: The Humphreys and Waldorfs view Friday the 13th differently than others. AU


**Here's a little something to tide us all over until I can get the next chapter of my story out. Unfortunately that muse seems to be away, vacationing in Saint Tropez or something. My best friend gave me a list of things to be included in a Dan/Blair oneshot and this is what came out of her random list of prompts. It was written in about eight hours so...it might suck, I don't know.**

**Anyway, here's to you, S.**

* * *

They have sex on the last day of July.

Each would love to say that it happens because they are drunk and not in control of their faculties, of the part of their brains that would normally cry out for them to note just who it is exactly that they are with. However, that would be a lie.

They are at one of Eleanor Waldorf's many charity luncheons, completely bored out of their minds. They sit across from each other at one of the tables and when their eyes meet over the sunflower centerpiece, they realize that July 31st, 2008 will forever live in their minds.

He sneaks away first, managing to remain unnoticed as he steps inside the study. She follows minutes after, and finds him sitting in what was once her father's favorite leather trench chair. Both remain silent as she makes her way towards him, fire in her eyes. She's just returned from Europe and found out about Chuck's betrayal with Lilly's decorator by catching them in bed; he knows of Serena's new romance with Nate because he heard them over the phone at the Hamptons.

Needless to say, they are both pissed.

She makes an underhanded dig at him and he responds, eager for a fight. They're toe to toe and their breaths are coming in heavy bursts and mingling and suddenly he presses her against the taupe-colored wall and kisses her.

All of their gestures are passionate (_anger_ is a passion, she thinks sharply) but they remove very little clothes, just his tie and her La Perla panties. Through his heated haze, he remembers to don a condom and she appreciates the gesture, even if she is on the pill, and will never tell him. There is an element of tenderness as they fuck, because, honestly, can it be anything else as his body presses hers against the painted plaster, his fingers dig into her hips through the silk of her dress hard enough to leave behind bruises that will appear ugly and purple the next morning, and the heel of her black Prada pumps digs into his ass? The answer is a resounding no. But there _is_ some kind of affection underlying all of this because his lips place the gentlest of kisses on the tender skin behind her ear and her fingers curl softly in his hair.

They last an eternity and are over all too soon. Her skin is dewy and flushed and his eyes are glazed but the two feel a whole hell of a lot better than they did a mere twenty minutes ago so their experiment is a success. She exchanges his tie for her panties and once both items are back in place, she kisses him again, this time lightly, and says, "Thank you."

It is perfectly understood that they will never speak of this, but neither says that they will not think of it.

* * *

He asks her out on February the 13th. _Friday_, February the 13th, to be more precise. The fiftieth annual Constance Billard/St Jude's valedictorian benefit is but a few months away and since they are both at the top of their respective classes, they have been spending much time planning out the details of the event with the board.

It is through working with her that he finds out that despite being Queen Bee of the Upper East Side, she is, in fact, dateless for the van der Bass' Valentine's Day party. He's invited, too (something that baffles him), and since he doesn't have a date and _she_ doesn't have a date he decides to throw his hat in the ring and propose that they go _together_.

They sit in the library, beside a truly horrendous bust of William Shakespeare picked out by Mrs. M, when he leans over and poses the question. She looks up at him, her eyes clearly conveying that she believes him to have lost his mind and demurs not too politely. He takes it all in stride (being of the "With this, or on this" do-or-die mentality) and returns to his work only to ask her again thirty minutes later. Once more, she declines and considers the matter put to rest. Except that he asks a last time after an hour passes by and her eyes light up with annoyance, and he smiles and she says yes, against her better judgment.

He decides to pick her up at her apartment the next day and Dorota shows him to the study. She finds him inside; he is thumbing through her copy of Truman Capote's _Breakfast at Tiffany's_ and humming "Moon River". It is almost enough to make her forget about the party and reenact the summer afternoon that shall not be named but she manages to hold herself together.

They walk the few blocks from her apartment to the brand new van der Bass townhouse. He holds her hand, she leans into him and neither notices the looks they receive from other pedestrians. The housekeeper waves them inside and they head immediately for the alcohol. Both know that neither Lilly nor anyone else at this multigenerational soiree will have anything to say if she has a champagne flute in her hand or he has a tumbler full of cognac in his.

Neither wants to run into exes, but since they are all invited to the party, that is an unrealistic hope and it doesn't help that they stand out in the crowd of reds and pinks and black, with her in a crème silk crepe dress and him in a light gray suit; the only splash of holiday color in the form of the scarlet sash around her waist and the matching Hermès silk pocket square she added to his jacket at her place.

They successfully avoid Chuck, Serena and Nate for most of the night. She drags him into a cozy and dark alcove off the kitchen as he exits the bathroom and kisses him, tasting the cognac on his tongue. His hand palms her breast and hers clutches at his back when Bart Bass catches them. The hotelier begins a speech about how his advice to Chuck went unheeded and now it's too late for his son, since it is apparent that she is in a new relationship. He grits his teeth and she smiles politely, and they sneak back into the party as soon as Bart is done talking. He thinks he sees his father in the crowd that gathers in the van der Bass parlor, but that is ridiculous and then she squeezes his hand, and they take the first opportunity to get the hell out of there.

Her apartment is quiet and they watch _Rebel Without a Cause_ in her bedroom because it is one of his favorite movies and because she thinks James Dean is hot. Her mother is not home when he wakes up the next morning, curled up under a thick cashmere blanket, next to her warm, naked body. He doesn't sneak out like some clandestine lover; rather he kisses her, steps in the elevator and strolls across the lobby like he belongs there. When the concierge and doorman smile and wish him a good day as if he was a tenant, he can't help but think that this place is a hundred times better than the Palace Hotel.

They show up on Gossip Girl, hand in hand leaving the 76th Street townhouse, and neither gives a damn, even though they are pelted with phone calls and questions all day. On Monday morning, he walks into school, finds her talking to Isabel on the courtyard and kisses her passionately in plain view of Nate, Chuck and Serena. She smiles brightly, reaches into her Givenchy satchel and hands him a small printer's box that is sure to hold the benefit invitations. He slips it into his Gap messenger bag and asks her to meet him for lunch. She agrees and they head into their respective schools. Serena shows her displeasure by ignoring her; Chuck shows his by accosting him.

They shrug it all off.

* * *

They find out about their parents a month later. It is Friday, March 13th and they've cancelled a date for this; he sits beside her on an ivory chaise while his sister sits on an armchair. Their older counterparts reveal their romance and his father takes the time to state that he will not step aside, will not end his relationship, for him again. Everybody understands. Jenny is mortified but Eleanor manages to settle her nerves and the issue is quickly resolved.

She starts up a new friendship with Jenny, both acutely aware of who the other _really_ is, and before long they act as if they've known each other their whole lives. He is asked by his father to act as best man in July and he accepts. She is maid of honor.

The ceremony is held on a sunny summer afternoon in the Noguchi Museum gardens. Rufus and Eleanor commit their lives to each other, but everyone feels as if the wedding is two-fold, encompassing not only the bride and groom but the best man and maid of honor, as well.

The reception is held at the Waldorf-Astoria. He dances with her all night and when the time comes, she catches the narcissus and alstroemeria bouquet and he walks away with the silk and lace garter. Their parents retire to their suite upstairs, she links her arm with his and they head back to her apartment (and it _is_ really hers since their parents purchased a new, larger apartment on 68th Street) and make love into the morning.

* * *

The morning sun finds them in Lenox Hill Hospital on Friday, November the 13th. She drinks a non-fat skim latte and thumbs through his copy of _Rolling Stone_ while he tugs at his green Dartmouth tee and writes longhand in a Moleskine® notebook. His sister, Constance Billard's newly anointed It Girl, looks spectacular in a Vena Cava dress and works furiously on her Classics project.

Yale Rose is born thirteen minutes before noon. She picks out the infant's first name (an homage to her alma mater) while Jenny elects the second (a tribute to their grandmother). He holds his new baby sister and pretends not to notice how her eyes light up at the sight. They kiss Eleanor, Rufus and Yale goodbye and take Jenny back to Constance in time for the blonde to present her project on Ancient Sparta. They stop by their parents' place to make sure everything is in order in the nursery before taking over at the Bedford Avenue Gallery for his father.

They welcome Eleanor and the baby home a few days later and take the time to quickly pose for the birth announcement that is to appear on Page Six the next morning. She goes into the nursery to kiss the baby goodbye and finds Yale's Irish au pair singing to the infant in Gaelic. She smiles and heads back to New Haven.

* * *

He proposes on Friday, July 13th, 2012.

They sit on the steps of the American Museum of Natural History eating lunch. He is an intern at _The New Yorker_; she is an intern at Latham & Watkins LLP. He sets down his sandwich, gets down on one knee and pulls out the Tiffany & Co. ring that he's picked. She accepts and immediate dons the oval-cut diamond solitaire.

They tentatively select September the 13th of the following year as their wedding day because Friday the 13th seems to work well in their family.

His publishing company schedules the release of his second novel (already dubbed the magnus opus of the century) for the same day. He fights it, but the executives look at him as if he's speaking Spanish and the date is not changed. She doesn't mind as much as he thinks she will and they push the date back three months to December 13th, also a Friday.

Three days before the wedding she finds him sitting on the steps to the Whitney, a Batman comic book (graphic novel, he'll insist) in his hands. It's cold but she warms instantly when he smiles at her. He stands, takes her gloved hand in his, and drops a quick kiss on her graceful neck. They go inside because the building is warmer and because she's here to schedule one of her mother's charity galas. She's not supposed to be doing anything but relaxing today but she can't because there is so much left to do and she won't be available for the next eight weeks.

They finish quickly and have dinner at Pastis. She goes home to her apartment and he stays at the Archibald's Park Avenue townhouse.

* * *

They get married on Friday, December 13th, 2013.

Nate is his best man, Jenny is her maid of honor and Yale is flower girl. The Church of Notre Dame is full of family and friends. Harold comes to New York City and gives her away. The ceremony goes without a hitch and then they are stepping through a miasma of ivory rose petals (because she refuses to use rice) and into the limousine stationed on West 114th.

Nate gives a charming speech about his friend (the two got chummy while at Dartmouth) and his ex-girlfriend being a perfect match. Jenny purposely steps aside and watches as Avery Carlyle catches the orchid and rose bouquet and bounces back to her boyfriend Rhys Sterling. J.P. Cashman catches the garter and gives a sidelong glance to Avery's younger sister, Baby, his girlfriend since high school. Owen, the eldest Carlyle triplet, breathes a sigh of relief and brings Jenny to sit on his lap. The blonde is in no rush to get married and for that Owen is glad; picking out an engagement ring is harder than he thought. He'll ask his future brother-in-law for help.

* * *

**Eleanor and Rufus...I don't really know how to explain that. And the Carlyle triplets are always fun to think about. If you haven't read the book, you should.**


End file.
